


Sunshine

by CelesteFitzgerald



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: ASMR, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Tingles, alternate universe - youtuber
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-11-27 12:37:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20948456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelesteFitzgerald/pseuds/CelesteFitzgerald
Summary: Richard never tries to sleep without the help of an ASMR video - and all his favorite videos are made by a young man named George who runs a channel called Sunshine ASMR. Richard has started developing feelings for the lovely ASMRtist, but he knows in his heart that it's just a silly celebrity crush. After all, how would a barista at a tiny coffee shop ever meet a YouTube superstar?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so so so excited to share this story! I don't know how many other ASMR fans are in this fandom, but hey, this'll be a good way to find y'all!

As Richard finished brushing his teeth, he checked the time—_22:58_. Perfect. In two more minutes, his favorite ASMRtist would be uploading a new video, and Richard would be able to fall asleep in peace. He always looked forward to Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays for that reason—sure, he could just watch other ASMRtists’ videos on the remaining days of the week, but no one ever compared to Sunshine ASMR.

Climbing into bed, Richard grabbed his phone and headphones from his nightstand, shut off the light, and opened up YouTube. Sure enough, there it was, the very first recommended video—“ASMR Ear Massage.” He clicked on it immediately and settled in for a relaxing twenty-one minutes and thirty-seven seconds.

A colorful sunrise animation popped up, accompanied by the adorable intro whispers that Richard knew by heart: “Here comes the sun; it’s alright.” Then the animation faded away, and in its place appeared the most beautiful man in the world.

As he had revealed in the past, the man’s name was George, but Richard preferred to just think of him as Sunshine. That’s what he was to Richard—a ray of sunshine in an otherwise chaotic and stressful life. Sunshine had gorgeous, shoulder-length brown hair, and depending on the day, it could be anywhere from perfectly straight to completely curly. On this particular day, his hair had the slightest bit of waviness, and Richard loved the way it flowed about his head each time he shifted from side to side of the 3Dio microphone.

The video began with some gentle ear tapping with his fingertips, and Richard smiled as he pulled the blankets tighter around himself. Then Sunshine began to speak.

“Hello…hello. You look a bit stressed; is everything alright?”

Sunshine paused for a second, staring into the camera as if he was waiting for a response—Richard loved those immersive roleplays.

Running his hand over left ear of the microphone, Sunshine nodded. “Ah, rough day, huh? That’s okay, that’s okay, okay. I’m here now, I’ve got you. And,” he said, holding a finger up to the camera, “I know just the thing to help you.”

Sunshine leaned in closer to the right ear as he continued whispering and moving his fingers delicately across the ears. “I’m going to give you…an ear massage. And…I have lots of new, soothing products to try out for it.” He let out a tiny, whispered giggle. “Yeah, they’re brand new, just…for…you,” he said, pointing directly into the lens. “Because you’re special…I mean that, you know? You’re very special. Never forget that, alright?”

Richard would never forget that, not when the words were coming from someone as perfect and beautiful as Sunshine. He began yawning as Sunshine showed off the cherry blossom lotion and lavender oil he had bought, tapping on the bottles as he held each one up. At this rate, Richard was worried that he’d be asleep before Sunshine even started the massage—at least that would mean he could use the rest of the video to help him sleep tomorrow night.

Luckily, Richard stayed awake long enough for Sunshine to open the bottle of lotion and begin the massage. It quickly became harder for Richard to keep his eyes open. He knew that he _should_ just let his eyes close completely, but if his eyes were closed, then he wouldn’t be able to see the slightly crooked smile that always gave him a fluttery feeling that was different from the regular ASMR tingles.

But as Sunshine kept massaging, giving each part of the ears an equal amount of attention, Richard couldn’t hold his eyes open any longer. His eyelids fell shut, and the sound of Sunshine’s hands and whispers sent him off to a much needed, restful sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

It was already halfway through Richard’s long shift at the coffee shop, but he was still feeling fine. He had slept well last night—thanks to the lovely Sunshine—and it had put him in such a great mood that even his coworkers had noticed the difference.

One coworker had even joked that the reason for Richard’s good mood was that he was in love. Richard had laughed off the suggestion, even though it wasn’t too far from the truth. He couldn’t deny that he had developed a bit of a crush on Sunshine over the past half year, but he still felt a bit silly about it. After all, Richard had never met the man—he had never even heard him speak above a whisper, for goodness’ sake.

Still, it wasn’t unusual for people to have celebrity crushes, and Sunshine _was_ a celebrity, in a way…to a very, very specific group of people. And based on the YouTube comments, Richard wasn’t the only person who had noticed the beauty of Sunshine’s eyes, or hair, or cheekbones—_wow_, lots of people really loved his cheekbones.

Richard served up another order of coffee, then headed back to the register to wait for new customers to arrive. As he waited, he happily drummed on the countertop with his fingertips as he got lost in his thoughts.

The bell above the door chimed as someone entered the shop, so Ringo glanced up to greet the newcomer with a smile—

Richard almost fell over when he saw who was walking toward the counter. There was no way, there was absolutely _no way_. But as Richard kept staring at the man who was brushing his gorgeous hair out of his face, it was unmistakable—it was _Sunshine_.

Sunshine finally made it to the counter, and Richard resisted the urge to blurt out something embarrassing that would likely only make Sunshine uncomfortable. Instead, Richard managed to give his routine introductory spiel despite still being in complete shock.

Letting out a deep sigh, Sunshine scanned his eyes over the menu as he thought. Richard couldn’t help but notice that the bright smile he had become accustomed to was conspicuously absent. Rather, Sunshine had small bags under his eyes and he almost looked like he was frowning.

“Hmm,” Sunshine said suddenly, and Richard fought to stop his jaw from dropping. This was going to be the first time he heard Sunshine’s actual voice, and he wasn’t ready—he needed time to _prepare_ for this moment, this was _huge_.

But Sunshine didn’t give him time to prepare. “Can I just have a caramel mocha?”

Richard was so entranced by Sunshine’s voice that he had no idea what he had ordered. His voice was _wonderful_. It was higher than Richard had expected, but even at full volume his voice was calming to listen to.

“Hello? Caramel mocha,” Sunshine repeated, the frown on his face growing.

Oh, _no_. Richard had been presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and what did he do with it? He made his hero—and crush—_upset_. “Oh—of course. I’m so, so sorry, sir, I’ll have that right out for you. You can just swipe your card right here,” Richard said as Sunshine paid. Richard turned away to get to work—

“Wait—what name should I use for the order?” Richard couldn’t believe he had messed something else up. Then again, he hadn’t really needed to ask that last question—he already knew the answer.

Sure enough, Sunshine responded with a quick “George” before walking over to the pick-up counter and waiting for his drink. With his heart beating out of his chest, Richard got to work on Sunshine’s drink. He made it as quickly as he could in an attempt to undo the damage he had done to Sunshine’s mood. Luckily, he finished the drink much faster than he normally did and was ready to hand it to Sunshine.

…Except he had forgotten to write his name on the cup. Richard grabbed a Sharpie and was about to scribble ‘_George_’ when he had an idea. Before his better judgement could talk him out of it, he wrote down ‘_Sunshine_’ and headed over to the counter.

“George,” Richard called out, deciding to stick to his actual name for the moment.

Sunshine walked over, his eyes slightly wider than normal. “Thank you,” he said before adding, “That was really fast.”

“Well,” Richard shrugged, “it looked like you were having a bit of a rough day, so I thought you might like your coffee as soon as possible.”

At those words, Sunshine’s mouth spread into the smile that Richard had become so familiar with. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it,” Richard said. “Consider it repayment for everything you’ve ever done for me.”

Sunshine paused when he heard that, a look of confusion appearing on his face, but he brushed it off quickly and made his way toward the door. Before exiting, he brought his cup up toward his mouth—then froze completely. Richard watched him spin the cup in his hands, looking at the name.

With his mouth hanging slightly open, Sunshine looked back at Richard. Richard just smiled and winked as he—unfortunately—had to begin helping the next customer. The next time he looked up, Sunshine was gone, but Richard kept smiling. It may have been quite a bit more awkward than he had hoped, but he still got to meet Sunshine—and no day with Sunshine in it could be a bad one.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Richard had never been so eager to start his shift at work. He knew it was a long shot, but the possibility that Sunshine might come _back_ to the coffee shop two days in a row made Richard’s heart soar. He did his best to stay focused on his job, but every time he heard the bell above the door ring, he stopped what he was doing and looked up—and became disappointed when it was only someone else.

Fifteen minutes until the end of his shift, Richard was starting to lose hope, but at least it was Wednesday—there would be a new Sunshine ASMR video waiting for him before bed. He held onto that happy thought as his shift ended with no Sunshine in sight.

Richard made his way home under the darkening sky, and when he arrived, he heated up a quick dinner. As he ate, his thoughts returned to Sunshine’s upcoming video. It was probably a selfish thought, but Richard wondered if there was a chance that Sunshine would mention him in the new video. Or, if not this one, a later one—Richard didn’t know how early Sunshine prerecorded his videos.

The rest of the evening dragged on slowly as Richard rotated between reading, watching videos, and updating his social media. Every few minutes, he grabbed his phone to check the time, wishing that 23:00 would just hurry up and _get here_ already. When it was 22:40, Richard hopped into the shower to wash up for the night.

Richard stepped out of the bathroom just in time to climb into bed and settle in for the new video. He had never been so nervous about an ASMR video before—at least Sunshine was a pro at helping him relax. He found the new video entitled “Ear Tapping and Silly Rambling,” then hit play.

It began just like any other video, with the uplifting intro and Sunshine’s cute smile, and Richard soon found himself yawning, just like every other night. He drifted in and out of consciousness, only catching bits and pieces of Sunshine’s whispers.

“…gonna get a bit sappy for a moment, but I’m so thankful for all of you who take the time to watch my videos…never thought I’d even make it to one thousand subscribers, let alone one _hundred _thousand…every single one of you is so special to me…the most surreal thing happened to me today…a fan recognized me—”

Richard’s eyes shot open and he focused all his attention on the video. Did he really hear that right? Or had he just slipped into dreamland for a minute and imagined the whole thing?

“I had been feeling a little bit tired today, a little bit tired. So…I went to a coffee shop for a quick pick-me-up,” Sunshine whispered as he kept tapping. He continued telling the story, and so far every detail matched Richard’s encounter with him.

“…but then, when he handed me my cup, the name on it didn’t say ‘George.’ It said….” Sunshine paused to lean off camera and reach for something, and to Richard’s shock, he reappeared with the exact same cup that Richard had given him the day before. He had saved it?

“It said, ‘Sunshine.’” Sunshine held up the cup and tapped on it, putting Richard’s sloppy handwriting on full display to the camera. “I, uh, finished the drink it few hours ago—and it was delicious, by the way—but I haven’t been able to bring myself to toss the cup.” He turned away from the camera to giggle and set the cup back down, and when he came back, Richard swore that his cheeks had a bit more color than they did before.

Sunshine resumed tapping on the microphone. “After I noticed the cup, I wanted to go talk to him, but he was busy, so I just left. I feel bad, I didn’t get to tell him ‘thank you’ again—god, I don’t even know his name. I was too distracted by his pretty blue eyes to look at his nametag….” He trailed off, focusing on the tapping as he smiled and bit his lip slightly.

Richard could barely breathe. Not only did Sunshine remember him, but the memory of Richard was getting him _flustered_. It was too good to be true.

And, somehow, it got better.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever see my mysterious barista boy again, but…but, but, but…in case you’re watching this video right now, I just want to say thank you. Your kindness made my day, and I hope you continue to share your kindness with the rest of the world. Oh, and that thank you goes out to the rest of you, as well….”

Sunshine kept thanking his subscribers, but Richard wasn’t listening. Sunshine had thanked him—Richard—specifically for making his day. Richard was so excited that he didn’t think he’d fall asleep at all that night—and he hadn’t even _started_ thinking about that wonderful ‘my mysterious barista boy’ comment yet.

So, instead of trying to sleep once the video had ended, Richard refreshed the page and scrolled through the comments—and with each comment he read, his fantastical dream became even crazier.

_“awwww, i ship it ^^”_

_“I’m starting a petition to help Sunshine find his mysterious barista boyfriend. Who else is signing?” _

_“It’s nice to see you looking so genuinely happy, George :)” _

_“dibs on being maid of honor at the wedding!” _

_“Go back to the coffeeshop and find him!!!” _

Almost every comment was about Richard in one way or another, and he actually laughed at the absurdity of the situation. The most surprising part was the huge number of comments along the lines of the last one, encouraging Sunshine to find Richard again. None of these people even knew Richard—he couldn’t believe that just a two-minute story from Sunshine could convince them that they were practically soulmates.

For the next ten minutes, Richard read the new comments as they appeared—until he noticed the time. He really did need to get some sleep, especially since he was on the morning shift the next day. He clicked on Sunshine’s channel, scrolled down to one of his favorite older videos, and tried to relax.

He should have known that allowing himself to stare at Sunshine’s face for another half hour was the worst way to get himself to relax at the moment, but he still watched the video all the way through. And the second video. And the third.

Who needs sleep, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's been reading, kudo-ing, and/or commenting! It means a lot that people are reading/enjoying this story!! <3


	4. Chapter 4

Richard’s next few days at work were a cycle of hope and disappointment when Sunshine didn’t show up to see him again. Then, Saturday night, Sunshine’s new video was back to normal, with no mention of Richard whatsoever.

Richard knew that he shouldn’t be so upset about it—after all, he _did_ get to meet his idol and become briefly, albeit anonymously, YouTube famous. But if Richard had made Sunshine as happy as he said he did, then he thought Sunshine would have made _some_ attempt to see him again.

On Sunday, Richard had the day off work, so he spent the day with friends, hoping that it would take his mind off Sunshine. It was semi-successful. The video games he played that evening didn’t help much either.

As he fell asleep that night, watching the new video from his second-favorite ASMRtist, Richard started to make peace with the situation. While he listened to the girl lightly brushing the Blue Yeti microphone, all he could think about was how much happier he felt when he was watching one of Sunshine’s videos.

That was what really mattered, wasn’t it? That Sunshine made him happy? Whether it came in the form of an ear massage or a coffee order, Sunshine always brought him happiness. And Richard was grateful that he still had Sunshine in his life in some way.

At work the next day, Richard didn’t have his hopes quite as high, so he was able to focus more on his job—he had been feeling a bit guilty for not performing up to his usual standards over the past few days. Now, he made sure to serve each cup of coffee with a smile.

During a lull in the usually constant stream of customers, Richard listened to the manager’s story about a strange customer who had been coming in almost every day lately. “He’s always peering around behind the counter,” the manager said. “I dunno if he’s just some creep, or if he’s trying to find some health code violation to bust us on or _what_, but he’s really getting on my nerves—oh, look—speak of the devil.”

The manager looked over Richard’s shoulder toward the door. “I’ll handle this guy, you just stay away, Rich,” they whispered.

Richard nodded and began walking away from the counter—but when he turned around and saw who was standing there, he gasped.

“I’ve got it!” Richard said as he ran back toward the counter and practically pushed his manager out of the way. They gave him a confused look but relented and let Richard take over.

“Oh my god,” a familiar voice said, and Richard turned back to the counter to see Sunshine’s jaw dropped in surprise. “Oh my god, I finally found you.”

“Y—you found me?” Richard asked, trying (and probably failing) to act cool.

“I’ve been here so many times over the past week trying to find you again, and you’re finally…oh my _god_.” Sunshine’s face burst out into a huge smile, and he tangled his hand in his hair. “You probably think I’m acting crazy right now—”

“_You’re_ acting crazy? _I’m_ the one who’s been replaying that part of your video from last Wednesday, like, three times a day,” Richard said, completely giving up on trying to act cool.

“So, you did see that video?”

“Of course I saw it, you fool—I’ve seen all of your videos,” Richard said.

The blush that appeared on Sunshine’s cheeks this time definitely wasn’t a figment of Richard’s imagination. “Well,” Sunshine began, “I’m honored that you enjoy my videos so much—”

“_Richard!_”

Richard jumped at the sound of his manager’s voice, and Sunshine’s eyes widened. “Shoot, I’m holding up the whole line, aren’t I?” Sunshine said, glancing behind him.

“No, no, it’s my fault,” Richard reassured him, touching his hand lightly—then wondering if it was a mistake to touch him.

But Sunshine just smiled even more as he looked down at their hands. “I’ll just place my order and get out of your hair.”

“Or,” Richard said, glancing at the clock, “my shift ends in about ten minutes. If you have the time to wait, maybe when I’m done, I can buy you another caramel mocha and we can talk?”

Sunshine ran his thumb over Richard’s hand. “I’d love that.” He stepped aside and found a seat at a table as Richard helped the next guest. These last ten minutes couldn’t move fast enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving you on a somewhat cliff hanger, but I'm trying to keep the chapter lengths semi-consistent, and if I included the next scene it would be waaaaay too long. Next chapter will be up tomorrow, though!!


	5. Chapter 5

Finally, Richard sat down across from Sunshine and handed him his drink. “Here you are—one caramel mocha.”

“Thank you,” Sunshine said, smiling as he set down the drink. “So, since you already know a bit about me, why don’t you tell me about yourself?”

“Well, my life isn’t nearly as interesting as yours, but sure, I’ll talk,” Richard said, laughing as Sunshine—_er_, he should probably call him George now—as _George_ listened patiently. “My name’s Richard Starkey,” he said, pointing to his name tag. “I’m twenty-five years old. By day, I’m a mysterious barista boy, and by night I’m…also a barista, depending on what time my shift is.”

Sunsh—George laughed, and it was the most beautiful sound Richard had ever heard. He had never heard him laugh above a whisper before, but he definitely wanted to hear it again.

“I’m also passionate about photography and making art,” Richard added.

“Really?” George said before taking a sip from his coffee. “What kind of art?”

“Nothin’ too fancy,” Richard said, waving a hand dismissively. “Digital art mostly, but I’m completely self-taught.”

“I’d love to see some of your work sometime,” George said.

“And I’d love to show you—but most of it is probably no good, so don’t get your expectations too high.”

“Nah, I bet it’s fantastic,” George said. “And even if it’s crap, I’ll like it anyways because _you_ made it.”

Richard threw his head back and laughed. “Brutal honesty—I like that in a man.”

“Then I think you’ll like me just fine,” George said.

“I already do, love,” Richard said with a wink, making George look away and blush. “Now it’s your turn—tell me more about yourself, Mr. ASMRtist.”

“Alright…I guess you probably already know my name, but I’m George Harrison, twenty-two years old. ASMR is obviously one of my favorite things to do, but I also play guitar in a small, local rock band.”

“Damn,” Richard said, impressed. “So you’ve got both ends of the sound spectrum covered.”

“Yeah. Our gigs are quite a bit different from my YouTube job,” George laughed. “Honestly, even though I love performing, the drunk, screaming crowds are overwhelming, especially when they don’t understand the concept of personal space. It’s nice to go home after a crazy night and just film a video or two all by myself, in the peace and quiet.”

“I can imagine,” Richard said, becoming more and more captivated with each word that left George’s mouth. “I bet you’ve already been told this before, but even in a normal conversation, your voice still has that calming, ASMR ‘quality’ to it. The ASMRtist role was _made_ for you.”

“Oh,” George said, eyes wide. “Thank you. No, I’ve never heard that before—but most people who I know in person don’t really know that I do the whole ASMR…thing.”

“What? Why not?”

“Well, it’s not exactly the easiest job to explain. My parents probably wouldn’t be too thrilled to hear that I spend hours petting silicone ears while whispering into a camera.” George laughed, but his laugh sounded hollow.

“But ASMR is so much more than that!” Richard said.

“Of course it is—you and I know that. But most people just think it’s creepy, or some weird sex thing. And it’s a shame that people think like that.” George sighed and sipped his coffee again. “It’s nice to be able to really talk about this with someone, without hiding behind a computer screen.”

“You _should_ be able to talk about it more, it’s an important part of your life,” Richard said.

“Well, now that I’ve found a handsome man who I can talk about it with, I think I’ll be talking about it a lot more,” George said.

“A handsome man with distractingly pretty blue eyes, right?” Richard teased.

“Oh, god,” George said, hiding his face in his hands. “I almost edited that part out of the video because it sounded so embarrassing.”

“Hey—the first time you ordered coffee from me, I was so distracted by your voice that I could barely remember what you had ordered, so I think we’re even on the embarrassing scale.”

George laughed. “Fair enough.”

They sat and talked in the coffeeshop for another half hour, then got up and walked around town for a bit longer. After a few minutes of walking, George grabbed Richard’s hand, and Richard happily squeezed back.

Richard had already known that George was special from watching his videos, but somehow he was even more incredible in person. Everything he did and said just screamed ‘_genuine_,’ and Richard loved it.

When it came time for them to say goodbye, Richard was thrilled when George asked if he could see him again sometime, and they eagerly exchanged numbers. George pulled him into a big hug before leaving, and _god_, Richard loved how it felt when George’s fingers brushed against his hair.

“I’ll see you soon, Richard,” George said as he waved goodbye.

Richard smiled as he walked away, and he tried to figure out how long he should wait before contacting George so that he didn’t seem too desperate. He thought that a few hours would suffice—then he decided _screw it_, and he texted George before he even got home.

Based on the way that George responded in under a minute, Richard knew he had made the right decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eek, we're nearing the end of the story! I have the rest written, it just needs to be edited. It'll either be 1 twice-as-long chapter + a short epilogue, or, if I can find a natural place to split the chapter in half, 2 regular-length chapters + the short epilogue. Thank you again to everyone who's been reading the story, you all make my day <3


	6. Chapter 6

Richard continued texting George for the rest of the day. He hated saying goodbye to him at bedtime, but at least George had just posted a new video—which also gave Richard the opportunity to gush to George about how wonderful the video was when he woke up the next morning.

Halfway through Tuesday, George mentioned that his band was playing a gig at a bar on Wednesday night, and he invited Richard to come watch. Richard accepted the invitation in a heartbeat. He couldn’t wait to see this other side of George.

After his Wednesday shift ended, Richard rushed home to eat dinner, then picked out his outfit for the evening. He settled on black skinny jeans and a t-shirt and checked his appearance in the mirror. Satisfied, he took a deep breath and headed out the door to make his way to the bar.

He texted George to let him know he had arrived, and a couple of minutes later, he saw George walking toward him. “Thank you so much for coming, I’m so glad you’re here,” George said, enveloping Richard in another hug.

_I could get used to this_, Richard thought as he returned the hug. “Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

George giggled against him for a moment before stepping back. “I have to go get ready, but I’ll see you after our set?”

“Of course,” Richard said.

Smiling, George squeezed Richard’s hand, then started walking back toward the band, holding onto Richard’s hand for as long as he could before his fingers slid out of reach.

Richard paused to check the time. He had twelve minutes until George was on, so he stopped by the bar to grab a beer before moving up closer to the stage. Soon enough, George was walking out on stage with the other young men, and Richard cheered as loud as he could—he didn’t know if George could see him with all those lights shining on him, but he would make sure George could _hear_ him.

The lead singer counted off their first song, and it started with a bang. Richard was blown away by the entire band’s talent, but he couldn’t take his eyes off George. Then the guitar solo came up, and Richard watched in awe as George had his moment to shine—and shine he did.

Song after song went by, and far too soon, the band had reached the end of their setlist. Richard cheered as they took their final bows and left the stage. A few minutes later, George made his way back toward Richard and touched his arm. “Hello there,” George yelled above the crowd.

“George, you were…oh my god, you were _phenomenal_ up there!” Richard said, continuing to shower George with compliments.

Unfortunately, George soon cut him off. “I’d love to continue this conversation later, but I’d like to introduce you to the rest of the band before they all run off to do…well, to do some really dirty things, probably.”

Richard laughed as he let George grab his hand and lead him over to the others. He spent a few minutes talking with them, and they seemed like a fun group, but Richard really just wanted to spend more time with George.

Luckily, the other men dispersed fairly quickly, and Richard and George were left alone. “I need to take my guitar back to my apartment,” George said, and Richard tried to hide his disappointment as he nodded. But when George added, “You’re welcome to come with me,” Richard’s mood brightened right back up.

They walked the dark streets, hand in hand, enjoying the much quieter atmosphere and fresher air. Five minutes later, they entered an apartment building and walked up to the third floor. George unlocked his apartment door and led Richard to his bedroom while he set down his guitar.

George was about to head back out to the living room when Richard froze. “Oh my god,” Richard said, pointing to the corner of the room. “That’s your set!”

“Sure is,” George said, walking over to his camera and microphones. “This is where the magic happens.”

Richard cautiously stepped closer, not wanting to disturb anything too much. He was actually in Sunshine ASMR’s _filming studio_—he was also in his bedroom, but the former was much more fascinating to Richard at the moment.

“Wow,” Richard whispered. “I’ve only seen a 3Dio on camera before—I’ve never seen the real thing.”

“You can touch it, if you’d like,” George said.

“Really?” Richard asked, and George nodded. Richard walked up to the microphone, and lightly ran his hands over the ears. “This is so weird,” Richard said as he tapped it gently, just like he’d seen George do dozens of times before. “I never thought I’d be on the other side of this.”

“If you keep going like this, you’ll have more subscribers than me within the year,” George teased.

“Not possible,” Richard said. “You’re too good.”

“And you’re too kind,” George said, reaching out to hug Richard again.

Richard sighed into George’s touch, and a few tingles ran down his spine as George ran his fingers through his hair.

…That gave Richard an idea. He wasn’t sure what George would think about it, but it was something that Richard had been dreaming of ever since he discovered what ASMR was. Besides, if anyone would be receptive to the idea, it would be George, and there was no one else Richard would rather ask.

“Can I…ask you something?” Richard muttered.

“Always,” George said.

“Have you ever tried giving ASMR to someone in person?”

George leaned back and looked into Richard’s eyes. “No. There’s never been anyone I could try it with.”

“Mm.” Richard swallowed and bit his lip. “Is there…any chance you’d like to try—”

“Yes.”

“Really?” Richard asked.

“God, _yes_,” George said. “Ritchie, that sounds incredible—especially if you’re the one I get to give ASMR to.”

Richard smiled widely—partly because George wanted to try this, and partly because of the nickname George had used. “Alright then,” Richard said, walking over to George’s bed and sitting on the edge. “Let’s do this.”

Giggling, George sat behind Richard on the bed and loosely ran one of his hands through his hair. “Do you have any favorite triggers?” George asked.

“Mostly the touching ones, on the ears and hair,” Richard said. “But whispers are also incredible.”

“Whispers about what?”

“Anything, as long as you’re the one doing the whispering.”

George let out a breathy laugh like the ones Richard had heard so many times in his videos, then rested his hands against Richard’s ears—and quickly pulled them away as he erupted into louder laughter. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m not used to the ears actually being real.”

“It’s fine,” Richard said as he fought back a laugh of his own. This was so strange, but it was the best kind of strange.

“Okay, I’ll try this again,” George whispered as he gently cupped Richard’s ears and ran his thumbs over the skin behind them.

Richard hummed as he started to relax. “That’s really nice.”

George didn’t say anything in response, but he slid his fingers around the rims of Richard’s ears and lightly massaged his earlobes. That _really_ got the tingles started, and the initial awkwardness started to fade away. George switched to ear tapping, then continued with an assortment of other ear triggers.

By the time George switched over to playing with his hair, Richard was yawning, and his eyelids were closing. Everything about this was magical.

“Shh,” George whispered into his right ear. “Let your eyes close, it’s okay.”

Richard sighed in response, and he was rewarded with more tingles as George softly blew air against his left ear. That was one feeling that online videos couldn’t accurately replicate—which was a damn shame because it felt _heavenly_. Richard was pretty sure George was still whispering things to him, but he was so tired that he couldn’t tell. Before long, Richard was drifting further and further toward sleep…

“_Ritchie…_”

“Ritchie?”

Richard’s eyes fluttered open, and he saw George’s deep brown eyes staring down at him. “What…?” Richard muttered as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Did…did I fall asleep?”

“A little bit, yeah,” George said, fighting back laughter.

“You’re too good at your job,” Richard said. “I have to say, I had a great time sleeping with you, George Harrison,” he winked.

George snorted and covered his face with his hands. “Oh my god, this must be the most unconventional date ever.”

“Oh, it absolutely is,” Richard agreed. “And I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Smiling, George looked deep into his eyes, then looked away. “Ritchie?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think of different mouth sound triggers?” George asked. “Like, you know…kissing sounds, or whatever.”

Richard’s eyes widened. “I like kissing sounds.”

“Hm. Fascinating,” George said, absentmindedly tapping his fingers against his leg. Then, slowly, he leaned forward, brushed Richard’s hair away from his right ear, and placed a soft kiss to his earlobe. He repeated the action on his left ear.

Then, taking Richard’s face in his hands, George kissed him directly on the lips.

Richard moved his hand behind George’s head and pulled him closer, never wanting the moment to end. The feeling of George’s lips against his own gave Richard a rush better than anything he’d ever experienced.

When they finally pulled apart, they were both smiling. Richard trailed his fingers down George’s arm until he reached his hand and entwined their fingers. Looking back up at George’s eyes, Richard spoke:

“Well, those were the best tingles I’ve had all night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, friends, this is pretty much it!! All that's left now is a tiny little epilogue. Thank you so much again for taking the time to read this story. When I started writing it, I wasn't sure if the concept would appeal to anyone besides me, so I was very pleasantly surprised to see other people enjoying it <3


	7. Epilogue

Richard was lying in his bed on his phone when George finally stepped out of the bathroom. As he climbed into bed, George wrapped his arms around Richard and kissed his neck. “What’re you looking at?” George asked.

“Your new video just went live,” Richard said, holding out his phone so George could see.

“So?” George laughed. “You’ve already seen it.”

“Well, maybe I want to watch the official premiere, too.”

George sighed and kissed him again. “Silly. Good night, love.”

“You’re not gonna watch with me?” Richard pouted.

“Tired,” George muttered against Richard’s back.

Richard couldn’t help but smile at how endearing George got when he needed sleep. He shut off the light, kissed George’s hand, then clicked on the video anyway—but not before he reread the title for the dozenth time: “_My boyfriend tries to give me ASMR_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, the story is now officially over! I loved writing this and reading your comments about it. Thank you again for reading! <3


End file.
